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Texas Drifter: Texans Serving Their Fate

Marshall’s Law Dateline – February 23, if Texas Drifter’s math is correct, is 179th anniversary of start of siege behind crumbling walls of an old church called “The Alamo”.

Few background information inserts from: THE ALAMO – Original Title “13 Days To Glory” by Lon Tinkle – Copyright 1958 by Lon Tinkle published by McGraw-Hill Book Company New York, New York.

Little background
1. (page 83) –“Davy Crockett, like Travis, Bowie, and Bonham, grew up in a world in which the American Revolution was the single greatest event in all history.”
2. (page 64) – “Travis was not patient like Stephen F. Austin; his was not a cool brain, like Jim Bowie’s; he was not full of cunning, like Sam Houston; certainly not a hero, like Davy Crockett. Of them all, he was the only one who had not spent his youth before coming to Texas.”
Specific background Travis
1. (page 59) “It was a characteristic gesture of the six-foot-tall, auburn-haired youth who seemed at times to exist for a sense of duty. The Travises were staunch Baptists – Travis own uncle had founded the Baptist stronghold of Evergreen college in Alabama – and the young lawyer had grown up expecting as much of himself as his rigorous code caused him to expect of others.”
2. (page 59) “If Travis was a good man to start a war, the hotheaded youth was an equally good one to fight it.”
Texans future placed in wrong Texan’s fate
1. (page 99) “It may have even been decided the day that James W. Fannin was born, for the key to the fate of the Alamo garrison lay in the character of the Goliad commander. (Fannin according to Captain Burr H. Duval writing to his father …) “… Had the best trained and best-equipped army the Texans ever put into the field.” (Reader can read “Chapter 10” of Lon Tinkle’s book to see how fate can be eternally cruel to least deserving)
2. (page 99) “Fannin knew what he had and meant it to serve his personal glory. Chance had put him where Sam Houston should have been.”
(End excerpts: THE ALAMO – Original Title “13 Days To Glory” by Lon Tinkle – Copyright 1958 by Lon Tinkle published by McGraw-Hill Book Company New York, new York.)

Another issue of fate intervening; some suggest that had Bowie’s rugged lifestyle not left Bowie in poor health; Travis would have never “by chance” had opportunity to write his letter that changed history.

Something else Texans and Americans might consider doing for America’s ongoing contemporary war of words against contemporary tyrants and tyrannies. Many Texans and fewer Americans are familiar with excerpts from Colonel Travis’ best known letter from Alamo which started with following introduction:

Commandancy of the Alamo
Bejar, Feby. 24, 1836
To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World
Fellow citizens & compatriots
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls I shall never surrender or retreat. (Reader can reference rest of letter them self except for following ending)
P.S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves. Travis

Most bad guys and many good guys ignore fact that Colonel Travis believed “The Lord is on our side”. A belief many contemporary pretender good guys are now too vain to appreciate. How many Texans and Americans are familiar with last letter to leave the Alamo?
To David Ayers
March 3, 1836
Take care of my little boy. If the country should be saved, I may make for him a splendid fortune; but if the country be lost and I should perish, he will have nothing but the proud recollection that he is the son of a man who died for his country.
Note: The letter to David Ayers is the last known letter written by Travis before the fall of the Alamo on the morning of March 6, 1836. William Barret Travis died at his post on the cannon platform at the northeast corner of the fortress.

Side note: How many Texas and Americans know story of Travis’ ring?
In 1835 Travis joined the Texan army as it prepared to battle Mexico for Texas Independence, promising Rebecca Cummins that as soon as his divorce was final they would marry. As a parting gesture of his affection, he gave her a brooch; and Cummins the cat’s eye ring from her finger and gave it to him. Travis threaded it on a piece of twine and wore it around his neck. He would never see Rebecca again.

Knowing his death was imminent, wrote Betty Smith Meischen in her book “From Jamestown to Texas: A History of Some Early Pioneers of Austin County” [iUniverse 2002], Travis placed the string with the ring around the neck of 15-month-old Angelina Dickinson, one of the non-combatants who survived the siege. Every defender was killed.

It would be nice to think that after such a traumatic beginning, Angelina the “babe of the Alamo” who inherited Travis’ precious ring went on to live a happy life. But this was not the case.

Few observations before moving on to General Sam serving his fate. Bad guys beliefs are motivated by vanity; selfishness; greed; stealing; hate; lust for power over others’ lives, health, properties, and achievements. Texans in service of their fate; might want to remember and celebrate upcoming anniversaries of both defenders at Alamo and at San Jacinto both during spring time 1836.

Texans and other Americans need to never forget that Colonel Travis and Colonel Bowie who served “side by side” behind crumbling walls of old church; formed a temporary coalition as they planned a duel to the death after Texas won its Independence. They placed Texas’ future above their personal differences.

Another example of war of words includes General Houston’s example at San Jacinto. Taking a brief step back, definition of motivate is provide person with desire to act.

General Sam Houston had two types of motivations at Battle of San Jacinto. First, cowardly command at Goliad; and second, heart and souls full of courage at Alamo.

When the time was right, General Sam had two messages, one for his troops and one for his enemies. Sam’s first message to his troops: I ordered my scouts to burn all bridges. No one comes in, no one retreats. I must have Santa Anna alive. Remember Goliad. Remember the Alamo.

Casualty reports from April 21st eighteen minute battle sent Houston’s enemies the second message: six hundred enemy killed, two hundred enemy wounded, and 732 enemy captured. Santa Anna was captured the next day after fleeing the battle like a coward.

Out-numbered two to one, Republic of Texas casualties were two killed and twenty-three wounded. The wounded included General Sam Houston. When asked about his part in the battle, one Texan answered, I would not have stopped killing those ######## if Jesus Christ himself had asked me too.

Other war of words examples includes Texas Constitution of 1836 which started not ended with Bill of Rights for Texans. Second example involves 1876 Texas Constitution following Yankee Republicans economic and physical genocide against people of South following Civil War in 1860’s.

This writing exercise will not identify Yankee Republican conservative carpetbaggers and scalawags which can be left for another writing exercise.

Moving on to: “Legend of Wild Olives”
Folklore as recorded by Texas Drifter, provides a tale about a young bride whose first and only true love, Antonio Fuentes age 23, Texas born, garrison member who died at the Alamo during Texas' War for Independence.

The bride became so depressed: she was diagnosed as dying of a broken heart.

After all efforts to cure the dying bride had failed, her family asked a young Texas born priest to intervene.

Following inspiration during prayer, the young priest gave the near comatose widow a single wild olive tree. The cleric suggested that she care for the seedling and allow the white flowers to remind her of the beauty she and her true love shared during their time together.

As time passed, the bride recovered and the tree continued to grow and bloom. Several decades later; time neared for the widow to rejoin her husband.

She asked the now “leaving middle age” priest to only make her one promise: to care for the tree she had so carefully tended too since the passing of her first and only true love.

After the still bride in spirit’s "going home", the priest became terribly depressed when none of his efforts to care for what became known as the widow's wild olive seemed to no avail as the tree without explanation started to die.

As the community was aware of the priest's promise to care for the tree, rumors started that the priest had lost his faith.

Then almost like divine intervention, the priest thought that maybe the tree was dying from a broken heart.

The priest leaving in the middle of the night and with the failing light of his candle found a small wild olive tree that also seemed nearly dead. He continued on to the widow's abandoned ranch and planted the second wild olive.

As if a miracle, an unseasonable rain nourished both trees.

You already know the rest of the legend. Both trees recovered and still survive to this day. Now you know why wild olive trees always do better when planted in pairs. Now perhaps Reader might understand that the Texas priest was also a Texan serving their fate.

Question, there are two kinds of Texans, those who serve their fate to honor Republic of Texas and those who do not. TRUE or FALSE

CLUE –Which kind of Texan are you Reader?

Question, men serving their fate, like Travis and Bowie, set aside their differences for the good of the Republic of Texas’ future. TRUE or FALSE

Bonus question, conservatives serving their fate; will set aside their differences for the good of Heaven’s favorite republic – America? TRUE or FALSE

Clue – There is a time for preaching, and a time for discussing; this is the time for discussing, so let America’s conservative patriots continue the time for praying, and save the time for fighting for later.

Bonus thought question - This writing exercise started with men serving their fate by fighting for their Judeo-Christian values like inalienable rights, behind the crumbling walls of an old church called “The Alamo”; one of those inalienable rights, included one priest serving his fate by trying to keep one promise to an old widow. How, by keeping alive one wild olive called “Anacahuita”.